Posted: Oct 16, 2010
Plymouth, N.H. – Plymouth State University senior J.J. Brooks (Seabrook, N.H.) scored the go-ahead touchdown on a two-yard quarterback keeper with 8:37 remaining in the fourth quarter Saturday afternoon at Currier Field as Plymouth State University pulled out a 10-3 victory over Endicott College in a battle of first-place teams in the New England Football Conference’s Boyd Division.
Brooks scored three plays after Panthers sophomore Ty Long (Dover, N.H.) returned a punt 42 yards to the Endicott two-yard line. Endicott was pinned deep in its own territory after taking over at its nine-yard line with 11 minutes remaining following a botched snap on Plymouth State’s potential game-tying field goal.
Plymouth State then sealed the win with a 12-play, 70-yard drive that took six minutes and 40 seconds off the clock and culminated with a 36-yard field goal by junior Christian Mulcahy (Norwich, Conn.) with 37 seconds remaining in the game. Endicott had a chance to tie the game on its last possession as a Hail Mary pass was batted away by a Panther defender but caught by junior \#Taylor Allen\# (Westboro, Mass.), but he was tackled at the Panther five-yard line as time expired.
Endicott drops to 5-2 overall and 3-1 in the division after breaking their four-game win streak. Plymouth State earns their fifth-straight victory and improve to 6-1 overall, 4-0 in the NEFC Boyd Division.
Endicott scored its only points on a 39-yard field goal by freshman \#Dylan Rushe\# (Palos Verdes, Calif.) with 56 seconds left in the first half. That gave the Gulls a 3-0 lead, which stood until Brooks scored the eventual game-winner midway through the fourth quarter.
The low score was indicative of the strong defense played by both teams. Plymouth State managed just 15 first downs and 256 yards of offense, while Endicott gained 12 first downs and 246 yards. Endicott junior \#Kevin Eagan\# (West Hartford, Conn.) spearheaded the Gulls’ defense with 13 tackles, including nine solo stops. Sophomore linebacker \#Oscar Moore\# (Lynn, Mass.) recorded 10 tackles, including eight solo and two sacks behind the line of scrimmage. Plymouth State senior linebacker Steve Campbell (Northborough, Mass.) led the Panther defense with nine tackles, including a sack.
Junior \#Mike Lane\# (Medfield, Mass.) rushed for 104 yards on 18 carries (5.8 avg.) for the Gulls.
Endicott looks to get back on the winning track next Saturday on the road against UMass Dartmouth starting at 12:00 pm. Plymouth State is home again next Saturday, hosting Boyd Division co-leader Western New England at Currier Field at 1:00 p.m.